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1 dead, 5 US Marines missing after warplanes collide off Japan

The U.S. Marine Corps said that the 2 a.m. crash involved an F/A-18 fighter jet and a KC-130 refueling aircraft during regular training after the planes took off from their base in Iwakuni, near Hiroshima in western Japan.

A Marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Japan’s southwestern coast after colliding early Thursday, killing one crew member, injuring another and prompting a search for five more apparently lost at sea, the Marine Corps confirmed.

The rescued Marine was in fair condition.

Search and rescue operations continue for the five remaining Marines who were aboard the KC-130 Hercules refueling plane and F/A-18 Hornet fighter when the accident occurred about 200 miles off the coast of Japan. The warplanes were conducting routine training and aerial refueling at about 2 a.m. when the incident occurred, according to the Marines.

The Navy is flying a P-8A reconnaissance plane to search for the missing Marines. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and Japanese Coast Guard were also assisting the search.

President Donald Trump expressed his support for the U.S. forces conducting the search, tweeting his thanks for their “immediate response and rescue efforts” and adding, “Whatever you need, we are here for you.”

The crash adds to a growing list of accidents involving American military aircraft in recent years.

A KC-130 refueling plane crashed July 10, 2017 in Mississippi, killing 15 Marines and one sailor. That accident was caused by a propeller blade breaking off and slicing into the plane’s fuselage, the Marine Corps announced late Wednesday after a more than a year-long investigation.

Investigators found that the aircraft's propeller was not properly maintained during its last overhaul in September of 2011. Crews missed corrosion that may have contributed to the propeller blade snapping off.

There has also been a recent series of accidents involving the U.S. military deployed to and near Japan.